Congdon's Lomatium
(Lomatium congdonii )
Apiaceae

BLM Photograph

Description: Perennial herb standing 7-14 inches (18-36 cm) tall with a taproot.  Stem is very short with a fibrous base.  Leaf stems (petioles) 3/4-2 1/2 inches (2-6 cm) and persistent.  Leaf  blades 2 1/2-6 inches (6.5-15 cm), widely oblong, dissected into segments 1/8-1/2 inch (3-10 mm) long, and tips have sharp points. Inflorescence consists of a peduncle 4 3/4- 12 inches (12-30 cm) tall, with 6-16 ascending rays that are 1-5 inches (3-13.5 cm) long, while pedicels are 1/4-1/2 inch (6-15 mm).  Flower corolla is a pale yellow and the fruit is 1/4-1/2 inch (7-10 mm) long and oblong to obovate.

Distribution: Presently this species is known only from the Red Hills and other serpentine sites in western Tuolumne County.  The plant was originally described from a collection in Mariposa County, but that population has not been relocated.  BLM manages considerable habitat for this species in the Red Hills.

Habitat: Chaparral and foothill woodland, on serpentine soils 980-4000 feet (300-1200 meters)

Flowering Period: April-June

Similar Plants:

Status: BLM Sensitive, California Native Plant Society List 1B